Windmill (water pumping) Owners

Dr. Walt · Jun 17, 2014

I need to supply water to a remote Mining Claim. Water would be from a hand-dug well alongside a small stream in a canyon bottom. Need to get it to the top of the hill - 1800 feet distance x 350 foot elevation gain.

Would a normal wind pump be able to do this, or would the 350 ft. elevation gain create too much "head pressure" even with in-line check-valves. Don't need a large flow, but a continuous flow of 1/2 GPM would be great.

THANKS in advance.

Doc

Anonymous-0 · Jun 17, 2014

Can you use a water wheel in the stream?

Graham from New Zealand · Jun 17, 2014

We used a windmill with a small mill about 6 feet diameter with a 2" jack pump, single acting, to pump water on our farm in the early 1950s. I don't know the head but it was not far short of your 350' and it was through only half inch alkathene pipe (when it was newly available). It never ceased to amaze me how much water arrived at our storage when a reasonable wind blew. It would have gone further. Sorry I do not have any figures to suggest diameter of mill + pump size + pipe dia + head. We had no check valves.

Lazy WP · Jun 17, 2014

I have a well that is about 300 ft deep. I use a 2"cylinder and a 10 foot Aeromotor head. Works great, other then I have trees to the north and they are at the top of a canyon. If we have a north wind, it won't pump.

Were I in your situation, I would try a solar system instead.

Steve@Advance · Jun 17, 2014

If this helps any, and I did the math right, you'll need 152 PSI to get it up there. That's just to break even on the head, add a little to get sufficient flow.

D7fever · Jun 17, 2014

check out a water ram, pumps water with no power, will lift quite high. Old time technology.

Russ from MN · Jun 17, 2014

Head pressure is .44 psi per ft. vertical. The depth of the well does not matter, it's the water level in the well that does. A small submersible designed for a very deep well might work with a solar panel, batteries and an inverter.

D7fever · Jun 17, 2014

they call it a hydraulic ram, link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram

Dr. Walt · Jun 17, 2014

Rusted:

No, it's just a small trickle but it runs all year round.

Doc

Ian Beale · Jun 17, 2014

This might help.

Data for Southern Cross IZ Windmills (geared head)

14 foot wheel with 2 inch pump

Total lift in feet 370

Av gallons per day 1035

Dr. Walt · Jun 17, 2014

I had thought about a Hydraulic Ram Pump, but they require a certain amount of head pressure at the start in order to pump uphill. Plus, there is a small amount of water lost (wasted) through the "waste gate" - and in the Desert, water is more precious than Gold.

Doc

Russ from MN · Jun 17, 2014

They have to have some head, or pressure, would not work out of a well unless it was artesian.

Russ from MN · Jun 17, 2014

A small trickle might operate a ram, if you have some drop. I saw one many years ago that had collection basins upstream that fed the ram downstream a hundred feet.

T in NE · Jun 17, 2014

+1 on the solar. Costs are similar to a windmill, and it can shut itself off once the tank is full.

Dr. Walt · Jun 18, 2014

Granted, solar is another possibility; but, I have available to me four complete windmills at NO COST other than my labor to dismantle them and haul them to wherever I wish to use them, and then re-erect them. As for solar, I would have to purchase everything associated with it.

Doc

calf · Jun 18, 2014

If you have four windmills, and one will not lift the water that far, how about staging it. 1st windmill lifts the water so far, then the 2nd lifts it the rest of the way? Would need a tank at the 2nd one, but otherwise should work.

(quoted from post at 07:27:26 06/18/14) Granted, solar is another possibility; but, I have available to me four complete windmills at NO COST other than my labor to dismantle them and haul them to wherever I wish to use them, and then re-erect them. As for solar, I would have to purchase everything associated with it.

Doc

Ian Beale · Jun 18, 2014

Forgot to add that a 40 foot mill tower is suggested.

but remember OZ is pretty flat

gene bender · Jun 18, 2014

The windmill pump is designed to lift water not to push you can try but i dont think it will push water that far and that high up have you tried it just get a length of hose fasten it to the tower up a way and that would be a quick test.

Alberta Bill · Jun 18, 2014

So Far I would go Wind Mill. With a tank or two as you climb sounds good.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 18, 2014

you can put stuffing box on the windmill it can build a lot of pressure on the down stroke its like an inverted cylinder

T in NE · Jun 21, 2014

How tall are they? They don't weigh anything. The way they get moved around here is to brace the legs, bust them loose, then lay them down with a boom, jib pole, etc.

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